The parallel between Isagi x Hiori and Nagi x Reo lends itself to a third pairing as well. One that failed their partnership even sooner than in Manshine's case. That pairing being Kaiser x Ness. The two have so far been incapable of linking up nearly as well as the other two. This is actually elaborated upon by Hiori in 239. What Isagi x Hiori and Reo x Nagi had were expectations. As Hiori puts it "It's not about one person wholeheartedly supporting the other's demands". Both of the players visions need to properly line up. Reo passing towards Isagi signaled his belief in Nagi surpassing Isagi, while Nagi went on to prove him right. Same goes for Hiori passing to where Isagi should be, believing that he'd see the same spot and make it there. This is juxtaposed with Kaiser's incredible bicycle kick in the Ubers match. Kaiser is upside down after being shoved, when Ness yells out for a penalty. While Kaiser is confident in his ability, Ness is not. Then, after the goal is indeed scored, Ness celebrates and praises him, not understanding that it isn't a goal Kaiser would be happy with. The two's visions just fundamentally differ. I'm looking forward to how this dynamic is elaborated upon during the upcoming Ness flashback. This sort of idolization and dedication most likely stems from somewhere.
I can't tell you how excited I am for the Kaiser/Ness flashback. Blue Lock has definitely been drawing comparisons between all these duos since at least the end of Manshine, so I'm sure that we'll see their interactions in a completely different light soon enough. Regarding them not being on the same page, completely agreed! I hadn't considered that with the bicycle kick yet but I'm 100% on board!
I've officially watched all your Blue Lock videos. This is my favorite. Anything talking about Barou getting devoured then becoming the devourer for some reason is my favorite content. I love how eventually he completely devours Isagi.
Wow, I really appreciate the dedication, thanks so much! And that's great to hear, I love talking about Barou so I'm sure there will be more like this sometime down the line
Speaking of codependency, this series also has shown the potential to break through codependency in Stage 2 when Isagi loses Bachira. He definitely was dependent on him, leading to his breakdown before his next match with Barou and confidence crisis. But by the end of it, Isagi and Bachira both met in a place where they could play with each other but not rely on each other. The path for Nagi and Reo definitely seems harder with the fact that they knew each other before this, but I'm hoping they both break through. Maybe Reo needs to be the one to turn his back on Nagi this time
Yes totally agreed! I actually go into a fair bit of detail about how the dynamic between Isagi and Bachira in the second selection is strongly informed by that between Nagi and Reo in my Bachira analysis ("Why Bachira is Isagi's first friend"), in case you're interested.
Also, Hiori is still playing with Isagi, he’s just saying he’ll play with all the strikers, not just Isagi. He’s like Sae in that way, and he always has been, because he passed to other strikers in both the Third selection and the U-20 game. Hiori has never been subordinate, and it’s Isagi who helped him realize that.
Hey thanks so much! It's actually really interesting for me to hear which videos stand out to different folks 😊 But yeah the NEL is absolutely phenomenal in terms of story structure and how it leverages that to create meaning. I'm actually kinda looking forward to PXG being over because there's a video I'm really excited to write about the NEL as a whole that'll, in my humble opinion, bring together everything from these 100+ chapters along somewhat similar lines to this one (assuming the end of PXG doesn't throw a wrench into that of course haha)
Hiori and Reo are both born to inherit their parents’ expectations and both of them hate their parents, to some extent, because of that, and yet I feel if they knew each other backstories they would want each other lives, well until Hiori got in the Ubers match that is. That a parallel I noticed between those too.
That is a really good point, I can't believe I didn't think about that before! In that light it's really interesting that these backstories also explain why the two of them are the ones through which Blue Lock explores ideas of finding one's goals/calling. Now I wish I could add that to the video haha
I wouldn't say Hiori will always Follow Isagi because he said in Resent Chapter 241 That he will Discard Any Boring Striker who can't keep up with he's Vision and Thought's
He is somewhat of a boring striker. the only thing that makes him interesting for hiori is that they see the same vision, other than that, he is boring because his other stats, excluding his shots are lacking, even if he improved them
Been a while since I’ve watched a video of yours (busy with school/work), it’s a pleasure as usual. Just here to feel validated for predicting Bastard’s win against Ubers and Isagi scoring 2 goals in this match 😊
This is the best blue lock analysis video I have ever watched, you got yourself a new sub and I can’t wait to see more of this level of analysis from you fam
your channel is a diamond in the rough in the current blue lock content stream. your videos go so much deeper and offer such insightful analyses as opposed to other channels in the community. please keep it up these are great😁👍
As always, I just love your analysis. I feel like with the NEL, Kaneshiro has really mastered the art of foreshadowing. This discussion actually got my ego juices flowing so I hope you'll indulge me. Seeing how much of the matches before we have been able to gleam from the pre-game interactions made 241 even more interesting as a glimpse of what's to come. In regards to parallels, the one being drawn between Kaiser and Isagi is identical to the one between Rin and Shidou back during the Third Selection: Two incredible players adept at scoring, who are incapable of linking up yet only serve to get in each other way. This is accentuated by having characters in universe state that if a chemical reaction did indeed happen, they'd be all but unstoppable. Now, having 241 outright foreshadow them needing to work together, I can picture the final piece of the PXG match being Isagi's realization that the first pair to properly link up (Isagi x Kaiser or Rin x Shidou) is the one that'll end up coming out on top. In doing so, Isagi would show that he succeeded in the one aspect even Rin failed at, that being linking up with someone they despise and share no chemistry with. It'd also be the culmination to Isagi's growth in the entirety of the NEL, using everything he learned in each of the matches: cross flow, egocentrism and trust in the skills of your partner. In doing so, Isagi would undoubtedly prove himself to be Japan's leader. I actually go further in depth on this subject on Reddit. So many bits and pieces of foreshadowing have gone into PXG that it's hard to even imagine them all. Take how Kaiser getting an offer from Royale Madrid right now is a perfect red herring for him awakening to his true ego, replacing his glass chain with a steel one and deciding to properly face Noa at BM.
Thanks so much as always Macey! And I really like this, you've given me a lot to think about here. I hadn't though so far but you're absolutely right that the NEL has put a lot more focus on the value of interpersonal relationshps than before, and having that culminate in Isagi x Kaiser would work tremendously well. Please send me a link to the post since I'm eager to read your thoughts in more detail! Also totally agreed that the foreshadowing is sooo good in the NEL, it's really fun how much material we've got to speculate about (especially regarding PXG now). Kaneshiro has layed the groundwork very well and that's paying off big time now!
The other parallel missed in the vein of "following a shared dream" -- Marc Snuffy and Mick Moon also shared a dream to be headed to the top of the football world together. It led to so much despair that the latter ended up ending his own life, and affecting Snuffy's coaching philosophy in a way that pulled personal responsibility away from the players. This was the main philosophy Barou challenged -- not the designs of Snuffy themselves, but the lack of despair. Which comes back to Barou's awakening in the 3v3...the first time he ever felt despair from a loss wasn't from a game he lost, but rather from his individual loss to Isagi when he was forced to pass. That despair is what forced him to improve. Barou challenges Snuffy's philosophy of "If we lose, it's my fault, not yours." to "If we lose, we're not good enough and we need to get better." Now that we see Reo/Nagi backsliding in the wake of their loss to PXG, it's important to see how they respond in their upcoming match vs Ubers for the continued parallels between MC/Ubers. It will be the third Nagi vs Barou face-off of the series, and Nagi has won the last two...but this time, Barou looks poised to be in better position to take the W unless Nagi faces another awakening or his pairing with Reo actually bears fruit.
Absolutely agreed, that's a very good point! I really hope we get more character stuff for them out of Manshine vs Ubers, I would love it if a lot of these parallels would be addressed in the upcoming match. By the way, in case you're interested: I actually go into a fair bit of detail about the importance of despair for Barou's arc (from the second selection to the Ubers match) in my video 'How Barou surpassed Snuffy'.
@@suzelsmanga I'll likely check it out in the coming days. /r/bluelock has a thread about top BL YT channels and you were basically unanimously the top voted channel for your content.
I knew from the moment Reo and Nagi partnered up again that they made a mistake but I secretly hoped it was just Nagi and that Reo was still on the right path, but it seems they're set to destroy each other. If Reo were as ruthless as Bachira and Hiori, he'd drop Nagi in favour of the biggest threat on Manshine: Chigiri. I feel like the implications here are that Manshine could have won that match had Reo and Chigiri paired up, I don't know the set up of PxG but it reminds me a lot of Ubers where Barou is seen as the most naturally talented striker in Blue lock but his rule doesn't allow him to keep an egoist support like Sae or Hiori, and Rin's also the best striker in blue lock but his hate of people supporting him in general and his desire to destroy makes me believe that he's doing all this without a truly egoist support like Hiori or Sae. I believe PxG might be the same and just like Isagi made the difference by partnering with Hiori, Chigiri may have been able to do the same by partnering up with Reo.
My interpretation of the Neo Egoist League (As of chapter 241) is that both Barou and Nagi have had similar if not identical character progression. -Both follow their Master Striker's philosophy. -Both see massive improvements as players. -When it isn't enough to overcome Isagi, they revert to their old ways: Nagi: Dependent on Isagi & Reo's creativity instead of making his own plays. Barou: Forces the team to respond to him instead of being a cog in a machine. -They both score Super Goals, however, they ultimately lose the match. -Nagi is faced with the challenge of replicating plays well above his talent level (Penalty: Harsher criticism of his performances moving forward due to his once-in-a-lifetime Super Goal) -Barou is faced with the challenge of controlling his team to the same level as Snuffy (Penalty: Lower salary boosts as his naivety in terms of controlling a match is shown to bidding teams)
Yeah sounds like we're basically on the same page. I really hope that we get to see some more from Barou before his final match. Not sure if I see any upcoming roadblocks to the same extent as Nagi though, my reading of the Ubers match at least is that he has firmly claimed the throne of Ubers for himself.
One thing i will say is that i think that barou did not revert to type but actually progressed forward he put his own spin on snuffys plays but not abandoning them. He also brought his team willingly on board with his schemes. At present barou has all the ubers plus snuffy on HIS side and on the path to further improvement. Nagi on the other hand has burnt bridges with manshine players had 2 losses and is utterly lost on how to improve. Contrast with chigiri who has simply followed the masters instructions and is improving diligently
Good video but Isagi’s intent when it comes to partners is misrepresented. There’s a nuance to him that is easy to misunderstand. He’s not looking for someone to be codependent on like Nagi. He’s also not looking to be isolated and independent like Rin. He’s that beautiful balance called interdependence: relying on self and others. Note what Hiori says about Isagi’s ego in 236 “Isagi’s expectations are not directed towards something he cannot change like another person…his expectations are for goals and towards a future he can change…Isagi is searching for a kindred spirit who can make that future come true with him…that’s why everyone is so entranced by Isagi and evolves alongside him..!” In other words, Isagi’s not looking for one specific partner to rely on, he’s looking for teammates, a team, who can perform at their peak with him, who see [[expect]] the same dream [[a future of Japan winning the World Cup]] as him!
That's fair enough, although I read it slightly differently. Let let me try to rephrase my view: the distinction between Nagi and Isagi is that Nagi realized that he wanted to work with Reo specifically to fulfill his dream of winning the world cup, whereas Isagi is also looking for someone to pair up with to fulfill his dream, but he doesn't care as strongly who it is. During the Ubers match, Kurona and Yukimiya fell short of his expectations and so he tried his luck with Hiori next. That doesn't the fact that Isagi wants a partnership ('a kindred spirit') of his own like Nagi has with Reo, it just that he's more interested in the skillset than the individual. And I totally agree that Hiori isn't going to stop partnering with Isagi altogether, but what distinguishes Hiori from Reo is that Hiori doesn't want to commit to one specific partnership - which imo seemed to be what Isagi was hoping for after the Ubers match. I hope this makes sense!
I’m not sure if this is intentional but this kinda reminds me of Plato’s chariot allegory where Plato describes the soul as a chariot with three components a black horse(desire), the white horse(spiritedness/will), and the charioteer(logic). In this case desire is ego, will is similar to the dream, and logic is rationality. Plato thought that logic should always be in charge with will as a driving horse and desire being a force that can serves as an obstacle that needs to be controlled. Now in this video and your previous video on rationality we see how kaneshiro communicates that logic and will should instead be in service to one’s original ego and not the other way around
Yeah the Sae connection is really interesting, especially now that ch 241 explicitly acknowledged the parallel. I'm very curious if that's going anywhere!
Great analysis as always. I think by rights the ubers should win against manshine. I think right now the ubers are performing at their highest level yet and the same cannot be said for manshine. One thing about nagi vs barou is that barou doesnt have a kingmaker (reo hyori ness) type and does his football even allow for others to step up. Is there any room for a hyori x isagi play in the ubers football?
Ubers doesn't promote that kind of imaginative midfield work. Who they should rely on as a support striker, is Sendo. He had an assist anyway, and proved his mettle by helping Shido to get upfield in the U20.
Thanks so much! I'd definitely agree that current Ubers is a step above current Manshine, so unless the Nagi-Barou rivalry prompts an awakening or so I'd hand it to Ubers as well. As for Barou's kingmaker: I think you're right that you won't get that in Ubers, since they focus more on coordinated patterns that involve the whole team. Not sure if that's a good or a bad thing really, I think that it makes Ubers much more flexible and consistent than anything in the NEL but on the flip side you might not get the kind of transcendent plays like Nagi's miracle goal or Isagi x Hiori.
Great question! I would love it if Nagi's rivalry with Barou be used to explore Nagi's current situation. It would make me really happy if Barou were to confront Nagi with his shortcomings and make him grow, I think that would fit really well with their established dynamic. Realistically speaking though, given how much recent chapters have been hyping up the PXG match, I suspect that we'll just get three pages showing a 3-2 score for Ubers or something, and Barou telling Nagi that he's fallen and it ending there.
That's really useful to hear, thanks! I used to have more prominent music but found it too distracting, now I do add some but tone it down really hard. I didn't mean for it to be completely unnoticable though haha
I don't have very strong feelings about it tbh. I like Kurona well enough, the Orbital Resonance spread looks great, but I don't think Kurona has the same level of writing as characters like Reo, Hiori, or Yukimiya. That's not criticism btw, not every member of BM needs to be super deep or undergo major character development imo. I have a bit to say about Isagi x Kurona towards the end of my video on the Metaphors of BM vs Manshine though, in case you're curious.
The parallel between Isagi x Hiori and Nagi x Reo lends itself to a third pairing as well. One that failed their partnership even sooner than in Manshine's case. That pairing being Kaiser x Ness. The two have so far been incapable of linking up nearly as well as the other two. This is actually elaborated upon by Hiori in 239.
What Isagi x Hiori and Reo x Nagi had were expectations. As Hiori puts it "It's not about one person wholeheartedly supporting the other's demands". Both of the players visions need to properly line up. Reo passing towards Isagi signaled his belief in Nagi surpassing Isagi, while Nagi went on to prove him right. Same goes for Hiori passing to where Isagi should be, believing that he'd see the same spot and make it there.
This is juxtaposed with Kaiser's incredible bicycle kick in the Ubers match. Kaiser is upside down after being shoved, when Ness yells out for a penalty. While Kaiser is confident in his ability, Ness is not. Then, after the goal is indeed scored, Ness celebrates and praises him, not understanding that it isn't a goal Kaiser would be happy with. The two's visions just fundamentally differ. I'm looking forward to how this dynamic is elaborated upon during the upcoming Ness flashback. This sort of idolization and dedication most likely stems from somewhere.
I can't tell you how excited I am for the Kaiser/Ness flashback. Blue Lock has definitely been drawing comparisons between all these duos since at least the end of Manshine, so I'm sure that we'll see their interactions in a completely different light soon enough. Regarding them not being on the same page, completely agreed! I hadn't considered that with the bicycle kick yet but I'm 100% on board!
Big brain comment, big props
I've officially watched all your Blue Lock videos. This is my favorite. Anything talking about Barou getting devoured then becoming the devourer for some reason is my favorite content. I love how eventually he completely devours Isagi.
Wow, I really appreciate the dedication, thanks so much! And that's great to hear, I love talking about Barou so I'm sure there will be more like this sometime down the line
Speaking of codependency, this series also has shown the potential to break through codependency in Stage 2 when Isagi loses Bachira. He definitely was dependent on him, leading to his breakdown before his next match with Barou and confidence crisis. But by the end of it, Isagi and Bachira both met in a place where they could play with each other but not rely on each other. The path for Nagi and Reo definitely seems harder with the fact that they knew each other before this, but I'm hoping they both break through. Maybe Reo needs to be the one to turn his back on Nagi this time
Yes totally agreed! I actually go into a fair bit of detail about how the dynamic between Isagi and Bachira in the second selection is strongly informed by that between Nagi and Reo in my Bachira analysis ("Why Bachira is Isagi's first friend"), in case you're interested.
Also, Hiori is still playing with Isagi, he’s just saying he’ll play with all the strikers, not just Isagi. He’s like Sae in that way, and he always has been, because he passed to other strikers in both the Third selection and the U-20 game. Hiori has never been subordinate, and it’s Isagi who helped him realize that.
Best video yet. I have watched it several times. I think the depth of blue lock is really displayed best in these moments of contrast.
Hey thanks so much! It's actually really interesting for me to hear which videos stand out to different folks 😊 But yeah the NEL is absolutely phenomenal in terms of story structure and how it leverages that to create meaning.
I'm actually kinda looking forward to PXG being over because there's a video I'm really excited to write about the NEL as a whole that'll, in my humble opinion, bring together everything from these 100+ chapters along somewhat similar lines to this one (assuming the end of PXG doesn't throw a wrench into that of course haha)
I just wanna say I really like the way you analyze the chapters 💪🏽 It makes the matches feel a lot more intense then what it seems at first
I really appreciate that, thanks!
Hiori and Reo are both born to inherit their parents’ expectations and both of them hate their parents, to some extent, because of that, and yet I feel if they knew each other backstories they would want each other lives, well until Hiori got in the Ubers match that is. That a parallel I noticed between those too.
That is a really good point, I can't believe I didn't think about that before! In that light it's really interesting that these backstories also explain why the two of them are the ones through which Blue Lock explores ideas of finding one's goals/calling. Now I wish I could add that to the video haha
I wouldn't say Hiori will always Follow Isagi because he said in Resent Chapter 241 That he will Discard Any Boring Striker who can't keep up with he's Vision and Thought's
Absolutely agreed with this, thanks for all your support!
Do you think isagi is a boring striker ?
He is somewhat of a boring striker. the only thing that makes him interesting for hiori is that they see the same vision, other than that, he is boring because his other stats, excluding his shots are lacking, even if he improved them
@@satty5030 Am Saying if Isagi is Blocked By a Defender Hiori will pass to someone else
Been a while since I’ve watched a video of yours (busy with school/work), it’s a pleasure as usual. Just here to feel validated for predicting Bastard’s win against Ubers and Isagi scoring 2 goals in this match 😊
Great to see you back! Well-deserved gloat haha
This is the best blue lock analysis video I have ever watched, you got yourself a new sub and I can’t wait to see more of this level of analysis from you fam
Thanks so much, I really appreciate that!
your channel is a diamond in the rough in the current blue lock content stream. your videos go so much deeper and offer such insightful analyses as opposed to other channels in the community. please keep it up these are great😁👍
I'm glad you enjoyed it! And don't worry, I'll definitely keep up the content for the foreseeable future
wow dude... you open my eyes with this analysis....the writting of bl so much deeper than than i thought
Thanks so much for the comment, it makes me really happy to know that I can help people appreciate Blue Lock even more!
As always, I just love your analysis. I feel like with the NEL, Kaneshiro has really mastered the art of foreshadowing. This discussion actually got my ego juices flowing so I hope you'll indulge me. Seeing how much of the matches before we have been able to gleam from the pre-game interactions made 241 even more interesting as a glimpse of what's to come. In regards to parallels, the one being drawn between Kaiser and Isagi is identical to the one between Rin and Shidou back during the Third Selection: Two incredible players adept at scoring, who are incapable of linking up yet only serve to get in each other way. This is accentuated by having characters in universe state that if a chemical reaction did indeed happen, they'd be all but unstoppable.
Now, having 241 outright foreshadow them needing to work together, I can picture the final piece of the PXG match being Isagi's realization that the first pair to properly link up (Isagi x Kaiser or Rin x Shidou) is the one that'll end up coming out on top. In doing so, Isagi would show that he succeeded in the one aspect even Rin failed at, that being linking up with someone they despise and share no chemistry with. It'd also be the culmination to Isagi's growth in the entirety of the NEL, using everything he learned in each of the matches: cross flow, egocentrism and trust in the skills of your partner. In doing so, Isagi would undoubtedly prove himself to be Japan's leader.
I actually go further in depth on this subject on Reddit. So many bits and pieces of foreshadowing have gone into PXG that it's hard to even imagine them all. Take how Kaiser getting an offer from Royale Madrid right now is a perfect red herring for him awakening to his true ego, replacing his glass chain with a steel one and deciding to properly face Noa at BM.
Thanks so much as always Macey! And I really like this, you've given me a lot to think about here. I hadn't though so far but you're absolutely right that the NEL has put a lot more focus on the value of interpersonal relationshps than before, and having that culminate in Isagi x Kaiser would work tremendously well. Please send me a link to the post since I'm eager to read your thoughts in more detail!
Also totally agreed that the foreshadowing is sooo good in the NEL, it's really fun how much material we've got to speculate about (especially regarding PXG now). Kaneshiro has layed the groundwork very well and that's paying off big time now!
@@suzelsmanga gladly! Do you have discord?
The other parallel missed in the vein of "following a shared dream" -- Marc Snuffy and Mick Moon also shared a dream to be headed to the top of the football world together. It led to so much despair that the latter ended up ending his own life, and affecting Snuffy's coaching philosophy in a way that pulled personal responsibility away from the players.
This was the main philosophy Barou challenged -- not the designs of Snuffy themselves, but the lack of despair. Which comes back to Barou's awakening in the 3v3...the first time he ever felt despair from a loss wasn't from a game he lost, but rather from his individual loss to Isagi when he was forced to pass. That despair is what forced him to improve. Barou challenges Snuffy's philosophy of "If we lose, it's my fault, not yours." to "If we lose, we're not good enough and we need to get better."
Now that we see Reo/Nagi backsliding in the wake of their loss to PXG, it's important to see how they respond in their upcoming match vs Ubers for the continued parallels between MC/Ubers. It will be the third Nagi vs Barou face-off of the series, and Nagi has won the last two...but this time, Barou looks poised to be in better position to take the W unless Nagi faces another awakening or his pairing with Reo actually bears fruit.
Absolutely agreed, that's a very good point! I really hope we get more character stuff for them out of Manshine vs Ubers, I would love it if a lot of these parallels would be addressed in the upcoming match.
By the way, in case you're interested: I actually go into a fair bit of detail about the importance of despair for Barou's arc (from the second selection to the Ubers match) in my video 'How Barou surpassed Snuffy'.
@@suzelsmanga I'll likely check it out in the coming days. /r/bluelock has a thread about top BL YT channels and you were basically unanimously the top voted channel for your content.
@@TiberiusAudley That's really dope, thanks for letting me know!
your video was very good, your analysis was spectacular
the community needs more people like you
That's so kind, thanks a mill!
thank you for the video, it helped me so much@@suzelsmanga
7:42 FACTS BRO I was Literally Saying that The Other Day To My Friend that Read's Blue Lock on a Analysing Level
Your content is great keep it coming!
Thanks so much!
I knew from the moment Reo and Nagi partnered up again that they made a mistake but I secretly hoped it was just Nagi and that Reo was still on the right path, but it seems they're set to destroy each other. If Reo were as ruthless as Bachira and Hiori, he'd drop Nagi in favour of the biggest threat on Manshine: Chigiri. I feel like the implications here are that Manshine could have won that match had Reo and Chigiri paired up, I don't know the set up of PxG but it reminds me a lot of Ubers where Barou is seen as the most naturally talented striker in Blue lock but his rule doesn't allow him to keep an egoist support like Sae or Hiori, and Rin's also the best striker in blue lock but his hate of people supporting him in general and his desire to destroy makes me believe that he's doing all this without a truly egoist support like Hiori or Sae. I believe PxG might be the same and just like Isagi made the difference by partnering with Hiori, Chigiri may have been able to do the same by partnering up with Reo.
My interpretation of the Neo Egoist League (As of chapter 241) is that both Barou and Nagi have had similar if not identical character progression.
-Both follow their Master Striker's philosophy.
-Both see massive improvements as players.
-When it isn't enough to overcome Isagi, they revert to their old ways:
Nagi: Dependent on Isagi & Reo's creativity instead of making his own plays.
Barou: Forces the team to respond to him instead of being a cog in a machine.
-They both score Super Goals, however, they ultimately lose the match.
-Nagi is faced with the challenge of replicating plays well above his talent level (Penalty: Harsher criticism of his performances moving forward due to his once-in-a-lifetime Super Goal)
-Barou is faced with the challenge of controlling his team to the same level as Snuffy (Penalty: Lower salary boosts as his naivety in terms of controlling a match is shown to bidding teams)
Yeah sounds like we're basically on the same page. I really hope that we get to see some more from Barou before his final match. Not sure if I see any upcoming roadblocks to the same extent as Nagi though, my reading of the Ubers match at least is that he has firmly claimed the throne of Ubers for himself.
One thing i will say is that i think that barou did not revert to type but actually progressed forward he put his own spin on snuffys plays but not abandoning them. He also brought his team willingly on board with his schemes. At present barou has all the ubers plus snuffy on HIS side and on the path to further improvement. Nagi on the other hand has burnt bridges with manshine players had 2 losses and is utterly lost on how to improve. Contrast with chigiri who has simply followed the masters instructions and is improving diligently
Amazing analysis
Thanks so much!
Good video but Isagi’s intent when it comes to partners is misrepresented. There’s a nuance to him that is easy to misunderstand. He’s not looking for someone to be codependent on like Nagi. He’s also not looking to be isolated and independent like Rin. He’s that beautiful balance called interdependence:
relying on self and others. Note what Hiori says about Isagi’s ego in 236 “Isagi’s expectations are not directed towards something he cannot change like another person…his expectations are for goals and towards a future he can change…Isagi is searching for a kindred spirit who can make that future come true with him…that’s why everyone is so entranced by Isagi and evolves alongside him..!” In other words, Isagi’s not looking for one specific partner to rely on, he’s looking for teammates, a team, who can perform at their peak with him, who see [[expect]] the same dream [[a future of Japan winning the World Cup]] as him!
That's fair enough, although I read it slightly differently. Let let me try to rephrase my view: the distinction between Nagi and Isagi is that Nagi realized that he wanted to work with Reo specifically to fulfill his dream of winning the world cup, whereas Isagi is also looking for someone to pair up with to fulfill his dream, but he doesn't care as strongly who it is. During the Ubers match, Kurona and Yukimiya fell short of his expectations and so he tried his luck with Hiori next. That doesn't the fact that Isagi wants a partnership ('a kindred spirit') of his own like Nagi has with Reo, it just that he's more interested in the skillset than the individual.
And I totally agree that Hiori isn't going to stop partnering with Isagi altogether, but what distinguishes Hiori from Reo is that Hiori doesn't want to commit to one specific partnership - which imo seemed to be what Isagi was hoping for after the Ubers match.
I hope this makes sense!
Very nice
Glad to hear you enjoyed it!
I’m not sure if this is intentional but this kinda reminds me of Plato’s chariot allegory where Plato describes the soul as a chariot with three components a black horse(desire), the white horse(spiritedness/will), and the charioteer(logic). In this case desire is ego, will is similar to the dream, and logic is rationality. Plato thought that logic should always be in charge with will as a driving horse and desire being a force that can serves as an obstacle that needs to be controlled. Now in this video and your previous video on rationality we see how kaneshiro communicates that logic and will should instead be in service to one’s original ego and not the other way around
This is not a context where I expected to come across a reference to the Phaedrus but I'll gladly take it haha
17:03 Literally Two Sae's 😂😂
Yeah the Sae connection is really interesting, especially now that ch 241 explicitly acknowledged the parallel. I'm very curious if that's going anywhere!
Great analysis as always. I think by rights the ubers should win against manshine. I think right now the ubers are performing at their highest level yet and the same cannot be said for manshine.
One thing about nagi vs barou is that barou doesnt have a kingmaker (reo hyori ness) type and does his football even allow for others to step up. Is there any room for a hyori x isagi play in the ubers football?
Ubers doesn't promote that kind of imaginative midfield work. Who they should rely on as a support striker, is Sendo. He had an assist anyway, and proved his mettle by helping Shido to get upfield in the U20.
Thanks so much! I'd definitely agree that current Ubers is a step above current Manshine, so unless the Nagi-Barou rivalry prompts an awakening or so I'd hand it to Ubers as well.
As for Barou's kingmaker: I think you're right that you won't get that in Ubers, since they focus more on coordinated patterns that involve the whole team. Not sure if that's a good or a bad thing really, I think that it makes Ubers much more flexible and consistent than anything in the NEL but on the flip side you might not get the kind of transcendent plays like Nagi's miracle goal or Isagi x Hiori.
What’s your take on Ubers v Manshine before the match? Nagi and Barou’s rivalry has been hand and hand when it comes to performing against each.
Great question! I would love it if Nagi's rivalry with Barou be used to explore Nagi's current situation. It would make me really happy if Barou were to confront Nagi with his shortcomings and make him grow, I think that would fit really well with their established dynamic.
Realistically speaking though, given how much recent chapters have been hyping up the PXG match, I suspect that we'll just get three pages showing a 3-2 score for Ubers or something, and Barou telling Nagi that he's fallen and it ending there.
great content and potential, only real suggestion i have is to add some background music, maybe something calm/lofi
That's really useful to hear, thanks! I used to have more prominent music but found it too distracting, now I do add some but tone it down really hard. I didn't mean for it to be completely unnoticable though haha
What do u think about Isagi x Kurono's partnership
I don't have very strong feelings about it tbh. I like Kurona well enough, the Orbital Resonance spread looks great, but I don't think Kurona has the same level of writing as characters like Reo, Hiori, or Yukimiya. That's not criticism btw, not every member of BM needs to be super deep or undergo major character development imo. I have a bit to say about Isagi x Kurona towards the end of my video on the Metaphors of BM vs Manshine though, in case you're curious.